January 27, 2007

Jeremy's, liked, flipped his lid. I'm pretty sure Kat Herding Media isn't sponsoring the Kennel Club International. I hear they're looking to cause some trouble at SoCon though. Word has it the couple pictured here will be in attendance. And the leash? Who can tell.

January 26, 2007

January 25, 2007

Frequently I regale you with tales of my attempts toward some semblance of physical fitness, which often takes the form of deep-water aerobics at the YMCA. I love water anything, I love the Y, and I go as often as I can after dropping Jenna off at school at 7:30, which gets me back home to greet the work day with a gallon of coffee and 4 ibuprofen.

Just as God intended.

I've also written before about how fun it is to see my lady friends in class, many of whom have a few years (or decades) on me.

But they could kick your ass. Don't cross them.

These ladies are my heroes. They don't care that they're not Beyonce or Brittney; they're there to be healthy. They don't care that they sag here or bag there; they come back and back and back because it's the right thing to do. They are so much more beautiful for their energy, generosity, and amazing stories at 8 in the morning when I can't imagine wanting to listen to anyone, but find myself glued to their conversations.

These are not dainty frail women. They work their asses off literally, on the elliptical and in the water, on the treadmill and on the track. I am a mouth hanging open wondering how to get what they have at 64 and 74 that I ain't got at 44.

So I go, and I absorb them into my skin with the chlorine and sore muscles. I hope what they have is contagious.

When classes are over, a few of us head to the whirlpool, where there's often a few people already de-stressing. Because I'm there around the same time, I've gotten to know the whirlpool folks too.

One older man is usually soaking away by the time we finish our class. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him actually work out, but he sure does seem to spend a lot of time soaking his sore muscles.

Tuesday I was talking with one of the ladies from my class while we soaked away in the hot water, and that gentleman joined us. He was telling us about his trip to the doctor the previous week. Apparently he had a couple of things out of whack, including his blood pressure, which was high enough for the doctor to put him on medication.

In fact he said his blood pressure spiked high enough that the doctor was pretty concerned.

January 23, 2007

Go ahead. Call me a freak. I’m a 46-year-old theater critic for a major metropolitan newspaper, and I’m feeling the pure bubble-gum joy of Disney’s “High School Musical.”

In spirit, I’m right up there with the vibrating balcony of cheering tween-agers who rocked the Fox Theatre last night, as Atlanta witnessed the unveiling of the first professional stage treatment of the unstoppable pop phenomenon.

As directed by Jeff Calhoun for Atlanta’s Theater of the Stars, the tale of East High School’s colliding cliques of basketball players, thespians and brainiacs may not be a slam dunk, Broadway-ready, A+ production. (We’ll get to the demerits in just a sec.) But it’s a strongly acted, brightly designed, adrenalin-soaked celebration of the triumph of all things good and true.

And for a story based on such thread-bare plot material, stitched together by so much light-weight musical thread, it’s a surprisingly moving experience.

At $56 a ticket, I am hoping it moves my ass off. See ya there tonight if you're going, blogfriends. Look for the three screaming kids and two bewildered moms.

P.S. Assuming this will bear slight resemblance to my first concert: The Jackson Five in 1973/4 at the Rochester War Memorial. Expecting fewer fros and less pot for a variety of reasons.

January 21, 2007

If "social media" PR types continue to focus on how to bring old tools into a new paradigm, they will continue to be beaten about the head and neck. Case in point is the social media press release, which has been discussed way too long for anyone outside of BigPR, which struggles to adapt to the changing means of "relating" among "people," formerly known as consumers.

The problem is the dual role of consumer (or user) and producer (or co-creator) that we find ourselves in, thanks to the Internet. Wait, it's not a problem at all. At least outside of BigPR--which has quickly become OldPR.

The traditional press release serves a purpose and always will. For public companies it is more an IR tool than anything else. Public companies are required to release information--and whether they do it through more human sounding language, through some PDF or HTML file with horizontal rules and links to podcasts, OR the usual way, they're not bothering anyone.

The call for a social media press release is a straw man. It is easier to fix formatting and links in an OldPR tool than it is to figure out how to bring an old-world discipline into new territory.

We are not an audience. You should not be broadcasting. Hello, it's time to take delivery.

On the social Internet, people are always looking for help getting done what they need or want to get done. THAT is the role of PR. THAT is how NewPR people are helping their clients. Finding ways to help people participating online do the things they want to do. Helping them discover new things to do. It's bottom up in the most radical way. The People are the new CEO. And the new CEO is a person.

It's all good. But you gotta stop caring about press releases and start caring about people.

[[UPDATE: NEW post by stowe on the topic, aggregating thoughts from others with new stuff. nice.]]